In the glorious aftermath of Tim Lincecum's no-hitter, a number of folks got especially giddy and pronounced him the greatest San Francisco Giants pitcher of all time. He definitely belongs in the mythical rotation, but let's not forget that things actually happened before the 1980s.

I guess you have to be a crusty old coot to have watched Marichal in his prime, but be advised: He was every bit as stylish and magical as Lincecum, and infinitely more accomplished. You could say he didn't match Lincecum's claim to two Cy Young Awards, two no-hitters and two World Series rings, but you'd also be saying you don't know much about baseball history.

He was a serious threat to throw a no-hitter every time out, and he did notch one. In the first five years of his prime (1962-66), there was just a single Cy Young Award, putting Marichal up against Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Warren Spahn, Don Drysdale and everyone in the American League. Koufax was a veritable deity in those days, the best pitcher ever to take the mound, but over those five years, Marichal won as many games (111) as the Dodgers' legend.

As the Giants head into Lincecum's next start, his career record is 95-75 with a 3.52 ERA, managing four seasons of 200-plus innings. Marichal didn't just clear the 200 mark for 10 straight years, he had three seasons of 300-plus. It's not fair to compare complete games in this dumbed-down era of pitch counts, but Marichal went the distance 244 times to Lincecum's 10.

Don't take this as some sort of Lincecum put-down. He might be my favorite pitcher over the past 25 years. Like Marichal, he's delightfully unconventional. He's not much of a batsman, but he loves to take his cuts and takes great pride in the occasional single to left. He could throw 218 pitches one night and not miss his next start. He's a fabulous all-around athlete, a treasure to the fan base, a man who thrives on high exposure and an outright rock star, even now, having passed the dreaded 30 years of age.

In fact, let's do this: Send the Giants into some mythical best-of-seven series with a four-man rotation. Marichal starts the opener, then Perry, the Hall of Famer most identified with the Giants (1962-71). Lincecum goes third, followed by ... wow, good question. Could be Mike McCormick, Jack Sanford, Jim Barr, Kirk Rueter- but I'll go with the vintage Matt Cain.

That means Lincecum pitches Game 7. Perfect.

Bit of a project

Nobody's pegging Vanderbilt's Tyler Beede as the Giants' next great pitcher, at least not yet. The team's No. 1 draft choice was alarmingly erratic against Virginia and Mississippi in the College World Series, at times having no idea where the ball was going. "Too flighty for me, too emotional," one scout noted. "He wilts in a lot of pressure situations. Great tools, though, and the Giants have a knack with young pitchers." ... Pitch-count nostalgia, courtesy of the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo: In June 1974 at Anaheim Stadium, Boston's Luis Tiantthrew 195 pitches over 14 1/3 innings while the Angels' Nolan Ryanthrew 235 in 13. "When you took the baseball, you wanted to finish what you started," Tiant recalled. "I didn't even feel tired." Tiant pitched complete games in his next two starts and worked 311 1/3 innings for the year. Ryan basically pitched forever. Beautiful. ... San Diego reliever Alex Torresshowed up at AT&T Park this week as the first major-league pitcher to wear a padded, protective cap. "It doesn't feel like it looks on my head," he told reporters, but it's hard to imagine the idea gaining widespread acceptance anytime soon. These are adults playing a kids' game, and they want to look stylish out there. Also: To many of them, wearing such equipment suggests an obsession with not getting injured.

Why the Warriors are so adamant about keeping Klay Thompson(and apparently will): Great shooters recognize the really special talents. He's not quite a finished product, but Thompson's pure release is sweet revelation to the likes of Steve Kerrand Jerry West. You just don't see it that often. ... For fans trying to understand the mystery of soccer's "stoppage time," in which no one but the referee is exactly sure of the time remaining: Get into the spirit of things and you'll find it strangely satisfying. Refs won't end the game if something meaningful is in progress: a free kick, corner kick, a promising sequence of passes, that sort of thing. No whistle until the action goes tame. ... Smart thinking: Former U.S. women's stars Brandi Chastain, Joy Fawcettand Cindy Parlowhave spearheaded a movement that would prevent kids from heading the ball until they reach high school. Parlow retired partly because of concussion-related headaches and fatigue, and as Chastain told the New York Times, "Why not protect our kids for as long as we can? The bottom line is that hitting your head repeatedly against something is never a good thing."

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